Whether the feeling is rooted in nostalgia or anticipation, there’s an instant comfort when you step into a bakery and are enveloped by the warm aroma of fresh bread baking. Perhaps that’s romancing the stone-ground, but there’s a reason this ancient art continues to thrive, especially in our region where there’s no shortage of delectable artisanal bakeries. One of the newest, Mel the Bakery, opened in Hudson in December 2023 and offers a feast for the senses: the scent of breads baked in-house, the sight of gleaming pastries, the texture of crust cracking, and the sounds of an enthusiastic team.
“I once heard from a friend of mine: ‘Food tastes better when made while laughing,’ and maybe it’s a little cheesy but creating food in a positive environment is important,” says Nora Allen, owner and founder. “Our goal is to create food that’s delicious and nourishing in many ways.”
Originally located on the Lower East Side, Allen opened Mel the Bakery in September 2020. With ingredients like freshly milled flour and heirloom grains, the concept took off, thanks in part to the following she gained while working at New York City restaurants like Roberta’s and The Standard, and her prior decade-plus experience of working on farms, in restaurants, and with bakeries. “I had been doing bread for some really good chefs, who also started doing their own projects during that time, and I managed to create a little buzz in the industry side before generating public and wholesale interest,” she says. “We’re guided by both quality and kindness, and I think people can taste the thought and care in our products. Even by using hand-milled grain, I have such an appreciation for ingredients that I know people worked hard to provide.”
The awards had started rolling in—2021 Eater Awards Best Bakery, a James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker semifinalist, StarChefs Rising Star Baker in 2023—when suddenly the building that housed Mel was up for sale. With rent increases, plus Allen’s priorities of using high-quality ingredients and paying staff well, she decided it was time to move on to a new location. “I was sad that the building was selling, but it was a blessing in disguise,” she explains. “We looked in the city at first, but my partner started looking upstate at her own restaurant opportunities, which made me consider Hudson.”
Norman Jean Roy’s cult favorite Breadfolks, a Warren Street staple for just longer than Mel had been around, was selling the bakery turnkey, including equipment for baking on-site, and Allen sought the opportunity. “I wasn’t interested in a commissary, or driving in baked goods from another location,” she says. “I want people to smell bread baking when they walk in and have that instant connection with the food. So I was excited to take this on.”
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Allen moved to the area in August and Hudson’s Mel the Bakery took flight on December 16. “Mel hadn’t been a long-term goal of mine, but the more I figured out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, the more I started working to have a place that runs on certain values,” she says. “Especially honesty about expectations and transparency about our products and business—we’re a business from the city opening upstate in a town we’re not from, and it’s really important for us to show up for this community.”
And in the short time they’ve been open, the community has embraced Mel right back. “A lot of what we do is inspired by Danish baking, so the name ‘Mel’ comes from the Danish word for flour, mjöl, pronounced ‘Mel’,” Allen explains. “I didn’t want to have an intimidating or pretentious-sounding name so we made it ‘Mel’ and had a designer friend create a character to make it more fun and approachable.”
Plans to unroll a full menu are in the works, but for now, customers can find an evolving selection of goods. The Olive Sunflower Seeded loaf ($12) is a top seller; there’s currently also a country loaf ($10), Einkorn Poppy Miche ($12), and Rugbrød ($14), a Danish rye bread and the only non-vegan bread offered.
Pastries include classic sweets like their lauded sourdough chocolate croissant ($5.75), cinnamon rolls with just enough frosting to border decadent ($5.50), and French favorite kouign-amann ($6) a caramelized pastry that’s both crispy and fluffy. Savory ham and cheese croissants, with Kinderhook Farm ham, are an irresistible savory option ($6.50).
“We hope it’s an experience when people come by,” Allen says. “We love to talk about the ingredients and share stories behind our products. And we’re always trying to push the quality further. I think we really just like making people happy.”
Winter hours are Friday through Sunday 9am to 3pm.
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